The Akron Zips vetoed Oregon State’s diplomatic immunity.
OSU lost for the first time in a game attended by President Barack Obama as the Zips advanced to the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic semifinals with an 83-71 win over the Beavers on Sunday.
The Beavers had been 4-0 since 2009 in contests Obama attended, all previously on the East Coast.
A crowd of about 4,000 filled much of the Stan Sheriff Center’s lower bowl as the First Family sat behind the Beavers’ bench to support OSU coach Craig Robinson, the brother-in-law of Obama.
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DIAMOND HEAD CLASSIC
At the Stan Sheriff Center; games televised on ESPNU
TODAY’S SCHEDULE
» Oregon State vs. George Mason, 9:30 a.m.
» Akron vs. Iowa State, 11:30 a.m.
» Boise State vs. South Carolina, 4 p.m.
» Hawaii vs. Saint Mary’s, 6:30 p.m.
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Akron (6-2) came out unperturbed by the presence of the arena’s important guest and a Pac-12 opponent, jumping out to a 16-2 lead. OSU came within a point at halftime, but the Zips of the Mid-American Conference pulled away in the second half and punctuated their fifth straight win with an alley-oop dunk.
"It’s a thrill, a thrill for the guys," Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "They can tell their grandkids when they’re my age, that the president was at the game. It’s just good that once in a while the president can come to a game and lose one. You know, you can’t win ’em all, right? Now at least he knows how we feel sometimes as coaches, right? … At least we kept (the Beavers) honest."
Senior forward Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell led the Zips with 24 points, and junior guard Nyles Evans added 17, including five of Akron’s 10 3-pointers.
"Man, I never even thought about it ’til before I came here, knowing I might be playing in front of him," Treadwell said of Obama. "It was an honor to play in front of him and get a win."
Treadwell was beastly inside in going for a season high in points on 7-for-10 shooting with 10 rebounds and four assists.
"He was able to do whatever he wanted," Robinson said. "He got the ball in the middle and I thought we defended well and he was able to get these crazy shots."
OSU’s potent scoring tandem of Roberto Nelson and Devon Collier was held to 30 combined points, more than 10 points below their average of 43.4 going in for the Beavers (6-3).
Nelson, who shot 4-for-15 from the field but 10-for-11 at the free-throw line for 20 points, said his players were unaffected by Obama’s second appearance at one of their games this season. The president also attended OSU’s game at Maryland in November.
"Didn’t even think about it," Nelson said. "I was thinking I was trying to go out there and win. It’s really cool, I love having him here. It’s cool to play in front of him and try to go out there and get a win. But, I mean, when it comes down to it, I’ve been fighting with my brothers all year, so I just wanted to rally them and get a win."
NO. 17 IOWA STATE 79, GEORGE MASON 67
The Cyclones (9-0) overcame a slow start and poor 3-point shooting with 22 points by Georges Niang. Dustin Hogue added 17 points and nine rebounds, and Melvin Ejim had 11 boards for Iowa State.
The highest-scoring team in the country going in (over 90 points per game) was held in check in the first half and led by just five points at the break on the Patriots (5-5).
SOUTH CAROLINA 78, SAINT MARY’S 71
The Gamecocks (3-5) came out with furious energy and repelled several charges from the Gaels in leading nearly the entire way and going the distance to knock Saint Mary’s (9-1) from the ranks of Division I unbeatens.
South Carolina of the Southeastern Conference shot 58.3 percent from the field and held Saint Mary’s of the West Coast Conference to 40.7 percent. The Gamecocks dominated points in the paint 40-28 and got 26 points off the bench to just five for the Gaels.
Gamecocks coach Frank Martin improved to 4-0 in Diamond Head Classic games.
